Drug dealers penetrate KodiakIt’s a scene not often seen in Kodiak: Federal agents and deputized law-enforcement officers, guns drawn, surround a home on Hemlock Street before an entry team with loaded firearms rushes into the living room, kicks open a locked bedroom door and places three men in handcuffs. Saturday morning, Feb. 7, was the homeowner’s birthday. She was cooking, preparing for well-wishers. Her 4-year-old daughter was in the li...

Don't get too wild about wildlife: Many species in Kodiak not nativesUbiquitous mammals on Kodiak Island include bear, deer and mountain goats, but only one of those is native to Kodiak. Of all the mammals on Kodiak Island, only about one-third are native, according to Fish and Wildlife Service biologist McCrea Cobb who spoke about introduced wildlife during the first History Speaks lecture organized by the Kodiak Historical Society and Baranov Museum on Wednesday. Some of the earl...

Eating Kodiak shellfish 'risky,' PSP specialist warns Kodiak shellfish have some of the highest levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning in Alaska. Rules of thumb such as don’t eat shellfish in months containing the letter “r” can supposedly help determine if shellfish is safe to eat, but for PSP researcher Julie Matweyou, the issue is not so simple. Shellfish feed on dinoflagellates, which can contain saxitoxin. That saxitoxin then accumulates in the shellfish and ca...

Kodiak Coast Guard swimmer receives DAR Medal of HonorJonathan Kreske expected he would have to face potentially panicked mariners who did not speak English. But as soon as he was lowered from the hovering Coast Guard helicopter and his feet hit the deck of the Russian tanker, he knew something had been lost in translation. A call had gone out for assistance for an injured man, but little else had been conveyed. Kreske was led first to a man whose feet had been sever...

Animal shelter gets first transferred petThe Kodiak Animal Shelter has received their first pet transferred to Kodiak from a mainland shelter in order to offer more adoptable pets in Kodiak and relieve the pressure on other shelters. Kyla, a two-year-old sled dog, arrived at the shelter almost two weeks ago from the City of Kenai Animal Shelter and is now available for adoption. “She is a very sweet dog and her personality is phenomenal,” said shelter ma...

Akhiok students learn from Colorado scientistsStudents in Akhiok learned more about the electric charges an antenna at their school is designed to detect during a conference call with University of Colorado scientists last week. “This lesson was the outreach part to connect the science going on with the antenna to the students and their learning and understanding and reasoning about why that thing is there,” said Kerry Irons, the district’s enrichment coordin...

Board of Game to consider repealing buffalo season after court decisionThe Alaska Board of Game will consider a proposal to repeal emergency order hunting seasons of bison, commonly referred to as buffalo, in the Kodiak area after a December Alaska Supreme Court ruling that buffalo that have wandered off their grazing lease are not wild. The original proposal to allow hunts was brought forward to the Board of Game in 2007 after buffalo owned by rancher Charles Dorman wandered off the...

Police report lacking about man accused of prowling police chief’s house Questions about the existence of a police report involving a Kodiak man accused of prowling the police chief’s residence might make it difficult for prosecutors to prove their case, officials said Tuesday. Public defender Emily Jura, who is representing Hayden Fredrickson, 19, told Judge William Morse she wished to have a copy of the police report before filing a “motion to suppress.” “I inquired of the state and ...

Murkowski backs craft brew billWASHINGTON, D.C. — Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, announced Friday she is cosponsoring S.375, the Small Brewer Reinvestment and Expanding Workforce Act to promote local job growth, clear the way for these small businesses to expand, and level the playing field for Alaska’s small breweries by restructuring the tax rates paid by small brewers, according to a release from Murkowski’s office. As co-chair of the Senate...

Companies unite to develop Alaska-based TV productionsANCHORAGE — KTUU-TV and Piksik LLC announced Tuesday the formation of a joint venture, dubbed Alaska Media House LLC. The new venture will develop and produce Alaska-based television content for national and international distribution. The group, which has several productions in development, will focus on telling Alaska stories across a variety of genres. Piksik is a wholly owned subsidiary of NANA Development Cor...